Junior Embedded Software Engineer

Company Overview :

Cedar Electronics, a leading electronics firm known for its Cobra and Escort brands, is committed to innovation and quality. Head quartered in Chicago; Cedar Electronics offers a dynamic work environment focused on developing high-quality consumer electronics. The company is embarking on an exciting phase of growth and development, and this role is pivotal in driving product excellence and team leadership.

Role Summary

The Junior Embedded Software Engineer supports the design, development, debugging, and testing of embedded software and firmware for consumer electronics products, reporting to the Senior Embedded Software Engineer. This role contributes to the embedded software development lifecycle for assigned features under the direction of the Senior Embedded Software Engineer, from implementation through validation, release, and post-production support. The Junior Embedded Software Engineer builds proficiency in embedded software design, hardware/software integration, system debugging, and software quality practices while collaborating closely with R&D, product, QA, and manufacturing teams to deliver reliable, high-quality embedded systems.

Essential Functions

1. Develop, debug, and test embedded software and firmware for assigned features under the direction of the Senior Embedded Software Engineer, including implementation, validation, and release support.
2. Serve as a primary contributor to sustaining engineering for products already in the field, owning assigned firmware update releases from implementation through validation, documentation, and deployment.
3. Participate in product development team discussions on product requirements, specifications, and technical feasibility.
4. Assist with embedded system hardware design reviews, including microcontrollers, memory, I/O, audio, displays, and other digital design considerations.
5. Use lab equipment such as oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, multimeters, and related tools to troubleshoot embedded hardware and firmware issues.
6. Support QA activities, including defect investigation, issue reproduction, root-cause analysis, test support, and validation.
7. Contribute to software quality through design discussions, testing, documentation, and participation in peer or AI-assisted code reviews.
8. Seek guidance, mentorship, and design feedback from senior engineers, and apply it to grow technical depth in embedded development.
9. Perform other duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications

1. 0–2 years of hands-on experience developing and troubleshooting embedded software/firmware, including internship, co-op, or academic project work.
2. BS in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or equivalent.
3. Programming experience in C, with exposure to assembly and C++ preferred.
4. Familiarity with microcontrollers, peripherals, interrupts, timers, and communication interfaces such as UART, SPI, I2C, or similar.
5. Ability to read schematics, with developing capability to provide input on embedded system hardware design, including microcontrollers, memory, I/O, and digital interfaces.
6. Some hands-on experience debugging hardware and firmware using oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, multimeters, and related lab equipment.
7. Ability to work effectively with direction from senior engineers while collaborating with other engineering disciplines, product, QA, and manufacturing teams.
8. Strong problem-solving skills, attention to detail, and eagerness to learn from code reviews and design discussions.

Preferred Qualifications

1. Exposure to RTOS-based, preemptive, multitasking embedded systems.
2. Exposure to USB device stacks and host-side software implementation.
3. Exposure to Wi-Fi, Bluetooth Classic, and/or Bluetooth Low Energy implementation.
4. Coursework or project experience writing Windows or macOS applications.
5. Familiarity with C#, .NET, Python, or similar languages used for internal tools and test applications.

Location : This is a hybrid role based out of our West Chester, OH office.

Type of Employment : Full-time salaried position with benefits.

Reporting : This position will report to the Senior Embedded Software Engineer

Equal Opportunity Employer Statement :

Cedar Electronics is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. All employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status.